Dossenheim – a brief overview

Dossenheim lies on the Bergstraße, ca. 5 km north of Heidelberg with its own motorway exit (to the A5). The town has approximately 12,000 residents.

The Bergstraße, the road B3, runs through the town from Walldorf and Heidelberg in the south then north through Schriesheim then Weinheim to Darmstadt. The next largest town the east is Mannheim.

dossenheim-panorama

Along the route Mannheim-Weinheim-Dossenheim-Heidelberg there is a tram service, VRN tram number 5, that runs in both directions. The three tram stations in Dossenheim are Dossenheim-Süd, which is found towards the south at the small shopping area called Am Petrus, then Dossenheim-Bahnhof near the town centre, and Dossenheim-Nord at the north end of the town. There are three main train stations for the German railway nearby: in Heidelberg, in Mannheim, and in Weinheim with train connections in all directions throughout Germany. There are also international airports at Stuttgart and in Frankfurt am Main.

The timetables for the trams and trains are available to purchase at the bookshop Worring in the high street or at the Dossenheim-Bahnhof. They are also available via the Internet.

The main road, the B3, splits Dossenheim into two parts, one west of the road and one east.

In the southwest there are sports facilities, an indoor swimming pool with sauna, an events hall, a primary school, the Kurpfalzschule for children who live this side of the B3, and the adult education centre VHS. Further west is the fire brigade, ambulance station, a drinks market and the Bären hotel.

In the northwest of Dossenheim we have a shopping centre that includes a supermarket and pharmacy. East of the B3 towards the south are the shops Am Petrus which also includes a grocery store.

The town centre offers a number of other shops, including a pharmacy. There are also banks and a post office. At the Rathausplatz (where there is a sculpture of a stone breaker to mark 250 years of quarrying in the town) there is the town hall and local library, where regular events take place, in particular theatre for children. Around this place there are a bank, a supermarket, a pharmacy and other stores. Further up the high street are the hotels the Hirsch and Kirchberg. Via the Schulstraße you come to the primary school for the children living this side of the B3, the Neubergschule.

Further large stores can be found in both directions along the B3 towards Heidelberg-Handschuhsheim and Schriesheim.

Dossenheim is particularly distinguished by its two quarries: the southern Leferenz (discontinued in 1985 but open to visitors since 2009) and the Vatter (closed since 2002). Further up in the hills at 550 m above sea level is the Weiße Stein the highest point of the town on the edge of the Odenwald. Another popular place to visit is the ruin known as the Schauenburg towards the northeast with its extensive views over Dossenheim and the Rhein valley.

There are two churches in Dossenheim. The protestant church is at the top end of the high street and the catholic church is in the Kirchstraße. There are Mosques in Heidelberg and Mannheim.

Dossenheim has over 60 sports and cultural clubs and offers a wide spectrum of activities for all ages. The local museum is a showcase for the history of the town and also a centre for cultural events. Our partner town is Le Grau du Roi in the south of France.

The most read newspaper is the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung. Once a week (at friday) there is a local newspaper (Gemeindenachrichten). Both newspapers are in  German.

In 2016 Dossenheim will celebrate 1250 years as a town.

For more information (in German) see www.dossenheim.de >>

 

pdf Dossenheim – a brief overview >>
pdf Map Dossenheim >>
pdf Map Legende >>